Tiees



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. H. OULLEY. MEANS FOR SECURING TIRES TO RIMS.

Patented Feb. 9, 1897.

3 SheetsShet 2.

(No Model.)

A. H. GULLEY. MEANS FOR SEGURING TIRES TO RIMS.

No. 576,836. Patented Feb. 9, 1897.

(No Model.) 3 sheets-Sheet 3. A. H. OULLEY. MEANS FOR SECURING TIRES T0RIMS.

No. 576,836. Patented Feb. 9, 1897.

PETERS co, Pno'rauma, wunmamuj o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ALFRED HENRY OULLEY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MEANS FOR SECURING TIRES TO RIMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 57 6,836, datedFebruary 9, 1897. Application filed July 27,1896. Serial No. 600,653.(No model.) Patented in England December 4, 1895,}1'0. 23,218.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LALFRED HENRY CUL E Y, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at 139 Brayard Road, Peckh'am, London, England, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in the Method of and Meansfor Securing Pneumatic Tires to Wheels, (patented in Great Britain,No.23,218, dated December 4, 1895,) of which the following is aspecification.

The object of my invention is a method of or means for securingpneumatic tires to wheels of cycles and other vehicles by the aid offlexible links, a series of which when pivoted end to end form a rigidband or a flexible band, according to whether said band be set with thelinks vertical or horizontal, one of said bands being attached to eachedge of the outer envelop or cover, which incloses the airtube, wherebythe tire can be readily placed and fixed on the rim or easily removed,either at any particular portion only or entirely all around, ifdesired.

For the purpose of my invention I prepare thin strips of flexible metal,preferably steel, and connect any desired number of these end to end toform an endless band, the pivotholes being near the outer edges or outof the longitudinal central line, so that when set with the linksvertically and the pivots next the larger circumference or outerperiphery a rigid endless band is produced; but such band, if laid onits flat side, causes the former inner periphery to be enlarged and theformer outer periphery to be reduced, the enlargement of the innerperiphery being the greater of the two. The band in this flat conditionfrom the character of its material becomes flexible at all parts of itscircumference, so that if one part of the band be pulled the remainderor other part can be drawn close into the body of the rim and the pulledportion lifted over for removal. The band during the lift action by anattendant assumes the outline shape of an egg-via, a broad lower partand a narrowed upper part or apex. When the links of the band are in avertical position or on edge and the inner tube is inflated, thebandpossesses a gripping power to resist outward thrust due to expansionof the inflated tube. The band thus formed is inserted and fixed intothe edges of the outer envelop or cover of a pneumatic tire. WVhen thetube and cover are in place and the tube is being inflated, the bandturns from a horizontal to a vertical condition or on its edge and ispressed outwardly toward the rim and -grips the rim at every part of itsperiphery without kinks orbulges, the links also taking their seating onthe rim and bearing uniformly all around.

With this system of tire-fastening it is not necessary to have a curvedhollow groove in the rim, as in some systems of fastening, as I amenabled to employ a rim with a flat surface for the air-tube to bearupon, which in sures greater resiliencyor life to the inflated tire, afeature of great advantage for fast and easy running of the wheel.

The facility I obtain for partial displacement of the tire at anydesired spot overcomes the inconvenience of removing a wheel bodily ofthe frame.

My invention is clearly represented in the annexed drawings.

Figure 1 is a face and Fig. 2 an edge View of a few flexible links ofthe kind I purpose using; Fig. 3, a transverse section of a pneumaticWheel-tire, with my flat flexible band shown in section within the edgesof the cover and in position when pressed outwardly and verticallyagainst the vertical walls of a flatbased rim by the inflation of thepneumatic tube; Fig. 4, a partial side elevationof a cycle-tire with aportion of the rim in section and a part of pneumatic tube-cover cutopen to show the position my flexible chain occupies therein whenvertical. Fig. 5 represents a portion of the cover lifted from the rimand the edge of a portion of my flexible band exposed, the band beingturned over on the flat, which facilitates this lift. Fig. 6 is adiagram elevation showing one half of the band in a vertical conditionand the other half in a turned-down or horizontal condition, the dottedline and the full lines on the right hand of the figure showing thedifferences of the diameters for fixing and for removal purposes.

A A are flat flexible steel strips, connected by joint-pins B B near oneedge, 11. e., the outer of the band when the strips are vertical O, thecover, within the edges of which or secured to them the strips in bandform are held; D, the pneumatic tube; E, the rim, the base F of which ispreferably fiat, as shown, but the base may be of other shape andpreferably with straight side walls G G, the outward pressure of thepneumatic tube combined with the circumferential grip of the bandforming the bond to keep the tire in place.

In cases of puncture or other cause of deflation of the tube D the sideedges of the cover 0, with the band A, can be laid flat, which increasesthe diameter of the band and enables the edge of the cover to be liftedout of the rim at any desired part and gradually all around if the coverhas'to be removed.

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a wheel'rim having a suitable channel, of apneumatic tire lying in said channel, and continuous bands each composedof short, flat plates of suitable metal lapped upon one another at theirends so that all the alternate plates will be in the same plane, andconnected by pivots inserted in the angles next to the outer edges ofsaid strips, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a wheel having a rectangular channel, of apneumatic tire 1ying in said channel, a cover for said tire, and twoflexible bands each composed of short, fiat strips lapped one upon theother at their ends and pivoted together by pins inserted in the anglesof said strips nextto their outer edges, said strips being arrangedbetween the pneumatic tire and its outer cover with their fiat faceslying parallel with the flat sides of the channel in the rim,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ALFRED HENRY CULLEY.

\Vitnesses:

RICHARD CORE GARDNER, ALEX. RIDGWAY.

